Lighting devices of varying sizes and shapes, including flashlights, are known in the lighting art. Conventionally, flashlights utilize one or more dry cell batteries, carried in series in a usually cylindrical tube serving as a handle for the flashlight, as their source of electrical energy. Flashlights which may have their batteries recharged with a constant current recharger are also known. Typically, an electrical circuit is established from one electrode of the battery through a conductor to a switch, then through a conductor to one electrode of the light source, e.g. lamp bulb. After passing through the filament of the lamp bulb, the electrical circuit emerges through a second electrode of the lamp bulb in electrical contact with a conductor, which in turn may be in electrical contact with the flashlight housing. The flashlight housing may be used as an electrical conduction path to an electrical conductor, generally a spring element, in contact with the other electrode of the battery. Alternatively, the electrical circuitry may be totally insulated from the flashlight housing. Actuation of a switch mechanism completes the electrical circuit enabling the electrical current to pass through the filament, thereby generating light which is typically focused by a reflector and lens assembly or by a collimator to form a beam of light.
Flashlights, in particular, which are used by personnel employed in law enforcement, fire and rescue, and the military, must be rugged, reliable, easily operational, and ideally waterproof due to emergency situations, occupational and environmental hazards, and adverse weather conditions that are frequently experienced by these individuals. Having a flashlight with a tail cap with a multi-purpose locking mechanism would be advantageous to such users.
It is advantageous to create a tail cap with a locking mechanism which would not only secure and seal the tail cap on the flashlight, but would also enable or disable the switch that activates, or deactivates the flashlight and/or its various lighting modes. In a disabled position, the flashlight would be prevented from being inadvertently turned on, which advantageously results inter alia in (a) saving of battery power, and (b) prevention of accidental disclosure of the position of the user, when, for example, the light is used as a tactical flashlight, for military or law enforcement purposes.
Additionally, it is advantageous to have a tail cap with a multi-purpose locking mechanism, which allows for a more rapid battery exchange, and ensures that the switch and contact pins return to the correct position, after the tail cap is reinserted. Insuring a proper positioning, together with a rapid battery exchange capability, create flashlight reliability desired for a lighting device in emergency and non-emergency situations.
Also, it is advantageous to locate the switch on the rear wall of the tail cap as it prevents inadvertent activation while holding the flashlight in the hand.
Further, by making the switch an ambidextrous switch, the flash light switch can be activated by either a right-handed or left-handed user, even when the flashlight is mounted on a firearm, such as a handgun, close to the trigger guard. Finally, it is advantageous to use a combination of a magnetic switch and an O-ring gasket, in order to make the flashlight waterproof.